“If somebody has a new, innovative way of communicating mental health issues then I’m interested in talking to them”, says David George, a CDW in Birmingham.

David, who has been in post at Heart of Birmingham PCT for just three months, has taken on the challenge of developing one of DRE’s pilot communication projects which you may have read about in our first How To guide.

Run in conjunction with New Style Radio, the original project aimed to raise the profile of mental health issues in the local African-Caribbean community. Radio interviews with CDWs, a consultant psychiatrist, representatives from a local community group and service users were broadcast in June 2007.

Since starting as a CDW and working with Birmingham-based mental health support group the Servol Community Trust, David has successfully extended the partnership, securing a half-hour radio show slot on Friday mornings which he will present throughout 2008.

“Using radio is a great way of reaching people who might have a mental health problem but don’t know it,” says David. “So many black people in Birmingham are only realising they have a mental health problem when they reach a crisis point and are sectioned.”

David has interviewed prominent figures in local mental health services, such as Rameri Moukam, Clinical Director of Pattigift, a Birmingham psychiatric unit for African Caribbeans. “We use the radio programmes to talk about how to spot if someone has a mental health problem. It’s about self-awareness and knowing who you are as a person. If someone hears something on a radio programme it can really give them a wake-up call.”                                                               

The organisations with which David has partnered are really noticing the benefits of increased interest in their services. Local charity BITA Pathways, which offers work-based therapy and training for adults experiencing mental ill-health, has seen a marked increase in enquiries since its Chief Executive, Erica Barnett, was interviewed on New Style Radio. 

And David has also looked to promote new projects. Ashram Housing Association, the largest BME housing association in the West Midlands, is looking to extend its successful work with Asian women with mental health problems to the wider BME community. David, who interviewed Ashram about the latest developments in November, is hoping that they will see substantial interest when the new project launches this year.

With Servol now teaming up with other local mental health organisations to produce joint information leaflets for BME communities, the radio project is forging new links across the Birmingham mental health landscape, with patients set to benefit.

“We’re making waves in Birmingham,” says David. “And, with the extension of the radio project, we’ve set a firm platform for that to continue in 2008.”